THERELATIVES

Donald Duck's family tree has been the subject of pseudo-scientific scrutiny since he emerged in Walt Disney's comic book stories. This has also been true for Scrooge McDuck from the time that he stepped into the scene. Both characters have had fans draw up numerous family trees, mostly based on guesswork and creative thinking, simply because there is not much real background information to be gathered.
Still, Carl Barks was sometimes asked to make up 'credible' family trees for Donald, and he reluctantly did so a few times (see his examples HERE). But Donald was not Barks' invention unlike Scrooge, whom he could supply with all the relatives he wished or needed, because he was Barks' own invention. And Barks did supply us with small scraps of information on the two ducks' as well as some of the other characters' relatives when he had to in his stories.

Below are concrete titbits presenting a collection of the characters Barks drew and those of their relatives that we know of through his stories.

WDCS095 'Moneyless Cousins'

Right from the start Barks' invention Gladstone Gander was presented as Donald's cousin. Still, he is drawn and named as a member of the goose family.

U$GTD 'The Fantastic River Race'

In this story we are going back in time to Scrooge's younger days and introduced to Gyro's grandfather Ratchet Gearloose, who was also an inventor.

FC0386 Only a Poor, Old Man

After having been outsmarted trying to steal Scrooge's money, the Beagle Boys retreat to their cottage hide out, that has a reward poster of their bearded father on the wall.

WDCS055 'The Champion Horse Tamer'

Donald visits his cousin Cuthbert Coot, who owns a cattle ranch.

WDCS047 'Farragut the Falcon'

Donald receives a falcon as a present from his uncle Eider Duck.

WDCS308 The Beauty Business

Daisy's three nieces, April May and June, have been visiting her several times.

U$GTD1 'The Fantastic River Race'

The story is set in the past where we meet the mustached and villainous Blackheart Beagle (and a group of his sons), who is presumed to be the grandfather of today's Beagle Boys.

FC0367 Christmas in Shacktown

In order to lure some charity money from Scrooge, Donald disguises himself as Scrooge's own uncle Jake McDuck. As it turns out the real Scottish uncle in fact already owes Scrooge money...

U$16 Back to Long Ago

Scrooge is hypnotized back in time. He is the British captain Matey McDuck sailing the Spanish Main in the 16th century looting for Queen Elizabeth. Donald is boatsman Pintail.

In U$29 Hound of the Whiskervilles Donald wants to know if Scrooge's ancestors also wore silk hats. Scrooge responds: 'My grandfather wore a miner's cap! But back before him, my ancestors - I've forgotten!'

According to U$29 Hound of the Whiskervilles Scrooge's Scottish McDuck clan became owners of a whole fief in 15??, and they start a clan war with the Whiskervilles, whereupon they leave Scotland in 1560.

In U$71 King Scrooge the First we learn - via the mysterious fortune-teller Swami Khan Khan - that Scrooge is the near-reincarnation of the ancient King Scrooge-Shah, who ruled the old Sagbad from 2030 BC.

U$21 The Money Well

We are presented with a story about Grandpa and Grandma Beagle who, many years ago, had a hideout from posses at a lot called section 26, where a small shack is now standing.
In the same story we can also see a picture of Grandpa Beagle hanging on the wall of same shack, which is now the grandsons' hideout. And, lo and behold, Grandpa, AKA 186-802, has just been released from prison and comes for a surprise visit...

FC0189 The Old Castle's Secret

We learn about several of Scrooge's ancestors from the McDuck clan in Scotland: Sir Eider McDuck was killed by the Saxons during a siege in 946, Sir Quackly McDuck buried a treasure along with himself(!) in the walls of his castle in 1057, Sir Roast McDuck died in 1205 from overeating after robbing the King's pantry, Sir Swamphole McDuck had the castle's dungeon door sealed in 1220, and Sir Stuft McDuck of whom we just know his name from a tombstone.

FC0495 'The Horseradish Story'

We learn of one of Scrooge's seafaring ancestors, Captain Seafoam McDuck, who, in 1753, agreed to transport a case of horseradish to Jamaica aboard his ship The Golden Goose. When he failed to do so, he discovered that a special clause in the transport contract forced him to surrender his fortune, but he managed to hold on to his gold teeth.
The inherited teeth were later sold by a golddigging Scrooge in 1880 to enable him to buy prospector's outfit up north.

WDCS108 'The Jumping Frog'

Donald visits his cousin Gus' tule bog in order to catch some jumping frogs.

WDCS267 Log Jockey

Donald visits his cousin Whitewater Duck, who is not the most amiable type.

WDCS312 The Not-so-Ancient Mariner

Taking a luxury cruise with an almost unrecognizable Daisy is her aunt Drusilla.

U$11 The Great Steamboat Race

Scrooge revives the 1870 steam boat race on the Mississippi River, where his uncle Pothole McDuck was one of the captains. According to U$68 Hall of the Mermaid Queen Scrooge earned a silver dollar in 1880 as a boiler on his uncle's boat...

U$10 The Heirloom Watch

Scrooge tells Donald about his watch that has been with the McDuck family for two hundred years (i.e. from 1755 as the story is from 1955). He is also named sole heir to his great uncle Quagmire McDuck's estate in Scotland.

WDCS155 'The Rainbow Heir Story'

Resigned Scrooge enumerates the relatives that could inherit him: My only relatives are my nephew, Donald, and his nephews, Huey, Dewey, and Louie, and my distant nephew, Gladstone Gander!... What a collection!

BONUS

Unknown to most readers of his comic book stories, Barks occasionally planted a few name references of some of his own relatives. Undoubtedly, he got a kick out of these implied 'name-droppings' that only he would fully understand. Below you are treated to some of Barks' relatives as they emerged in his stories.


WDCS210 'Donald the Baker' - 1958 In this story Barks paid tribute to some of his grandchildren by mentioning them in the first panels of the story. Their names are Bradley, Jackie, Patty, and Teresa Jane.

U$42 The Case of the Sticky Money - 1963

Barks mentioned grandchildren Jackie and Pattie and - in an earlier panel from the same scene - Teresa as graffiti on the soda bar wall.*

U$09 The Tuckered Tiger - 1955

Again, Barks mentioned some of his many grandchildren, of which you have already 'met' a few. They appear on an animal racing list.

WDCS206 'Hotel Manager' - 1957					WDCS312 The Not-so-Ancient Mariner - 1966
In the first example the potato sacks bear two names: Tulelake and San Jacinto. Tulelake is the town in California where Barks' older brother Clyde lived as a hotel manager most of his life, and the latter is the name of the area where Barks lived at the time of the story's publishing. In the second example Tulelake pops up again accompanied by Klamath, which is the Oregon county where both brothers were born.